Mayor Coleen J. Seng will unveil two new bronze sculptures at 5 p.m. today at the Sunken Gardens, 27th and Capitol Parkway. The sculptures are part of the $1.7 million renovation of the gardens, which is nearing completion. Also participating in the unveiling will be the artists and their families and representatives of the Lincoln Arts Council and the Parks and Recreation Foundation.

“It is appropriate that this unveiling is the first event at this renovated park,” Mayor Seng said. “The people of Lincoln love the Sunken Gardens, and they love public art. They proved that by making donations, large and small, for this project. Those donations represent an investment in this community, one that will allow many future generations to enjoy this artwork and this park.”

The new sculptures are:

“Rebekah at the Well,” created by David R. Young, a retired art teacher from Grand Island. It represents a more modern, bronze version of the concrete sculpture, “Rebecca at the Well” by Ellis Burman, which was in the garden from the 1930s until last year when it was vandalized beyond repair. “Rebekah” stands at the top of the waterfall and pours water into the falls from a jug. Young has other sculptures on display at the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island, Carnegie Arts Center in Alliance, and the Wild Bill Hickok Memorial in Deadwood, South Dakota.

“Reveille,” created by retired surgeon Dr. Wayne Southwick, who now lives in Connecticut. The word “reveille” means “a signal to get up out of bed.” The name was chosen because the woman in the sculpture is modeled after his wife, Ann Seacrest Southwick, getting their children out of bed. “Reveille” depicts a life-sized angel blowing a trumpet and was cast in Italy. Dr. Southwick originally is from Friend, Nebraska, and is a graduate of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Ann’s grandfather, J.C. Seacrest, was instrumental in donating the area to the City in the 1930s to create the Sunken Gardens. Dr. Southwick also has work displayed at Yale University, the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney and First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, Connecticut.

A reception for the artists will follow today’s unveiling. The renovations at the Sunken Gardens includes a restroom building, accessible pathways, renovated ponds and a waterfall. The garden will be open to the public in mid-July and a re-dedication ceremony is being planned for August.